Hogwarts: Dumbledore reigned over the wizarding world.

Chapter 87 Magic

The squeezing sensation of the "pipe" became increasingly intense as it rotated.

Perhaps only a second passed, or perhaps a long time; time seemed to lose its meaning here, until Vaughn felt he could no longer resist the squeezing of the "pipe"—

He was sprayed out!

There was another "crackling" sound, as if something had exploded.

Vaughn fell.

He was standing on soft grass. He shook his head, his vision blurred for a few seconds, and then he realized that he was standing next to Crouch.

He looked down and saw that he was standing in the center of the circle!

"You did it...on the first try!"

Beside him, Crouch stared wide-eyed. Although his tone remained dry, the slight trembling of his mustache betrayed his shock.

Vaughn had no interest in caring about his thoughts.

While he was overjoyed at the successful Apparition, he was more worried about potential complications. He quickly looked down at his body and asked, "Barty, do I have a clone? Or something else?"

Crouch quickly checked as well: "...All four limbs are intact, there's no obvious blood on them... Oh, one shoe is missing..."

After examining the situation for a while, the two discovered that during this Apparition, Vaughn had lost a shoe, a button, and a small piece of his fingernail.

The fingernails were found where they had been standing, but the shoes and buttons were nowhere to be found.

Crouch said in his dry, wrung-out voice, "This is quite normal. In fact, your performance has exceeded my expectations... 99% of wizards fail to Apparition on their first attempt."

"Most people failed, standing there dumbly until they spun around until they were dizzy, stumbled and fell to the ground. A few fared even worse. I remember the first time Amelia did it, one of her arms flew straight into the crowd... I had just started working then, and the Ministry of Magic had sent me to Hogwarts to proctor exams!"

He thought Vaughn was upset.

In reality, Vaughn was wondering where his shoes and buttons had gone.

Crouch said he didn't know the answer to that question.

"Perhaps no one in the entire magical world knows this, which is the most terrifying aspect of Apparition failure and splitting accidents—no one knows where your thigh or arm landed; the ideal situation is that it remains in place."

Vaughn frowned: "Has no one tried to solve this problem?"

"There's no way to fix it," Crouch explained. "There's no pattern to these things. For example, you might have just Apparated three meters, but your shoes and buttons could end up five or ten miles away, or even in the ocean...anywhere!"

He shrugged. "So all along, the Ministry of Magic has been teaching Apparition at Hogwarts, where the most powerful anti-Apparition charm in the world is located, and it can also be partially canceled."

"Usually, the Ministry of Magic will select an empty classroom at Hogwarts and temporarily lift its restrictions. This way, when young wizards practice Apparition inside, even if they split into multiple bodies, their physical bodies will not appear outside the classroom—because the space outside the classroom is locked."

Listening to Crouch's words, Vaughn realized that he had found another area that interested him.

For example, what is the principle behind Apparition?

Or, to go even deeper, what exactly is space in this world?

The more Vaughn learned about magic, the more unknowns he encountered. To be more precise, the magic system of this world was like a giant black box.

There are no underlying principles to learning and using magic; people simply know that chanting spells and manipulating emotions and magical power can achieve this, and therefore they can do it...

"What a capricious world..."

Vaughn sighed inwardly and suppressed his curiosity for the time being; that wasn't something he should be thinking about now.

Under Crouch's supervision, Vaughn continued his studies.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Vaughn noticed his emotions fluctuating—prolonged concentration is too mentally taxing, and fluctuations are inevitable—so he decisively withdrew his magic.

It was successful at all other times, and there was not a single splitting accident throughout the entire process.

Even the things he carried on his person were no longer lost. This speed of progress deeply impressed Crouch.

This shock wasn't due to Vaughn's learning ability; he had seen countless geniuses in his life, including his son Barty Jr.

Crouch was struck by Vaughn's self-control and composure. In terms of spell difficulty, Apparition is not actually that difficult. Its difficulty lies in "composure"—maintaining composure and stability for a long time, which is extremely mentally taxing.

Normally, a wizard who is new to Apparition will be most efficient in the first few practice sessions.

Because this is when you are in the best mental state.

Afterwards, as mental energy is depleted, it is inevitable that attention will decrease, distraction and fatigue will occur, and efficiency will begin to drop significantly. Many unexpected events occur at this time.

But throughout the entire night, until dawn when the two finished practice and returned home, Crouch did not notice a single sign that Vaughn was about to give up.

He even makes progress with every practice session.

"monster……"

Crouch silently gave himself this assessment.

To his relief, Vaughn was not strong in every aspect. In the following days, Vaughn, who had gradually mastered Apparition, began to try Fiendfire, a spell he knew about before but had never practiced because it was too dangerous.

Then, his practice efficiency dropped rapidly.

Five days later, in the early morning, on that same secluded, flat lawn, Vaughn chanted the Fiendfyre incantation. His staff-wielding movements, magic, and emotions were all impeccable.

But as the incantation was completed, only a streak of sparks shot out from the tip of his staff...

Crouch smiled slightly, trying his best not to appear too gloating.

Vaughn flicked his wand again, but the Fiendfire, which was said to burn anything, failed to form at the tip of his wand, and the few sparks quickly dissipated.

However, he had a good attitude, simply rolling his eyes at Klaus and saying, "Laugh if you want!"

I stopped paying attention to him.

"system!"

Vaughn silently summoned the system panel:

[Host: Vaughn Weasley]

[Magic Scale: 463 (500 for a typical adult wizard)]

【天赋：魔咒学7、黑魔法6、变形术8、魔药学10、草药学6、占卜学2 (满值为10)】

【魔咒：大脑封闭术LV5(MAX)、铁甲咒LV5(MAX)、缴械咒LV5(MAX)、飞走咒LV4（11/16）、漂浮咒LV4（10/16）……摄神取念LV3(1/32)、幻身咒LV2（4/8）、神锋无影LV2（4/12）、粉碎咒LV2（0/8）、消失咒LV2（0/12）……新增：幻影移（显）形LV0（2/3）】

[Potions: "Vorn Beauty" series, Wolfsbane Potion, etc...]

[Reputation Points: 0]

Looking at his talent section, Vaughn pondered:

"Dark magic talent 6, this number is even worse than I expected. It seems that 6 to 7 is a watershed. If a number of 7 can be considered excellent, then 6 is at most slightly above passing. This will result in a huge difference in the learning of magic!"

Of course, Vaughn was in a good mood because, according to his agreement with Dumbledore, Dumbledore would stop shamelessly giving Gryffindor so many points. In that case, he would most likely complete the main quest and get a talent point by the end of the term.

At that time, you can choose to allocate points to either the Spellcasting talent or the Dark Magic talent.

That's his confidence.

Moreover, from the current perspective, black magic is not urgent.

Setting aside his focus on his talent for the moment, Vaughn glanced at his spells list, a densely packed list.

For more than a month, he still did not slack off in practicing spells. Except for a few spells, he had made progress in most of them, but some had obviously started to slow down.

For example, spells like the Flying Spell and the Levitation Spell, which are at level 4, have shown no improvement whatsoever in the last two weeks.

Vaughn couldn't possibly lavish his precious reputation on them.

Fortunately, these spells are sufficient for now.

"Hmm? Magic scale... When I checked last month, my magic scale was 456. At the normal growth rate of 6 points per month, it should be 462 now. How come it's increased by 1 point..."

As he was thinking, Vaughn's gaze inadvertently swept over his sleeve, and when he saw his wrist exposed, he suddenly realized:

"I'm starting to develop..."

He had previously speculated that the growth of magic power should be related to talent and the physical development cycle, but due to the lack of samples and statistical data (others do not have a system and cannot quantify it), it is difficult to accurately calculate its growth trend.

The change in the magic scale now undoubtedly confirms Vaughn's guess.

"I'll be 12 next month, and if I think about it, I'm definitely in the stage of rapid development... This is the stage of greatest change in a person's life. According to Muggle biology, various hormones such as troponin and target hormones, which are close to dormant from birth, begin to be activated in pulses from this stage onwards..."

"The growth of bones, muscles, and internal organs is merely an external manifestation. The essence of puberty is the activation of internal hormones. Is the increase in 'magic power' also related to them?"

Vaughn's interest was piqued.

Although magic is unobservable, every wizard can sense it. It determines the power of a wizard's spells and the number of times a spell can be cast, and it is the energy source of the magic system.

If anyone can crack its secrets or summarize its growth patterns, then that person will have mastered the most convenient path to power.

The reason for saying this is not because the effect of increased magic power is so strong, but because it is most likely to experience explosive growth.

This involves a special phenomenon that every young wizard experiences before the age of 10—magical awakening, or magical riot!

Before this special phenomenon occurred, the young wizards had no magical abilities; at that time, they were no different from Muggles or Squibs.

It wasn't until the awakening of magic that a clear distinction was drawn between the extraordinary and the ordinary, between wizards and Muggles.

From a biological perspective, the awakening of magic is like unlocking the evolution of the essence and level of life!

Generally speaking, each young wizard will only experience one magical awakening. It is this awakening that helps them break away from their original life level. Even the subsequent growth of magical power is just the "aftereffect" of that awakening!

If... a person could experience several magical awakenings...

With this tempting idea popping into his mind, Vaughn quickly opened his bag, took out his notebook, and wrote down his thoughts.

Crouch's expression was a bit strange. He saw Vaughn stare blankly for a while (looking at the system panel), then suddenly pull out his notebook and start writing furiously, looking excited.

I couldn't help but worry that this confident and proud child might have suffered too much of a blow and developed some mental problems.

Fortunately, his fears did not come true.

Crouch only saw that after Vaughn wrote something in his notebook, his mood suddenly improved, and he remained smiling until dawn when practice ended.

And today seems to be his lucky day as well.

In the afternoon, Vaughn, who was searching through Barty Crouch Jr.'s memories in the basement, was called out by Crouch, who handed him an invitation.

"Wiseengamo has initiated the voting process and decided to hold a vote on the resolution tonight. This is what Amelia Burns asked me to bring to you, and you must attend tonight."

Vaughn took it, glanced at it a few times, and then put it away, casually asking, "Did you vote for or against it?"

Crouch said sternly, "Did I have a choice?"

"Tsk, cheer up. We're partners. The establishment of the Werewolf Affairs Committee will only benefit you, not harm you. Barty, are you really content to spend the rest of your life just drifting along in an International Magical Exchange and Cooperation Department?"

"Are you really willing to be dominated by an idiot like Fudge? He's not a very magnanimous person. Look, he dared to kick you to the Cooperation Department last year; he might dare to retire you in another two years!"

Vaughn tried to pat Crouch on the shoulder, but found he couldn't reach him, so he patted his arm instead, coaxing him.

Crouch's face twitched, and he said dryly, "Life's not so bad these days..."

“But I’m very dissatisfied, Barty!” Vaughn’s expression turned to a half-smile. “As a partner, I feel it’s more in my interest for you to become Minister for Magic, don’t you think?”

Crouch remained silent.

Vaughn didn't press him, and resumed his smiling demeanor: "You need to be more proactive, Barty. Today's votes were all sent by owls, right? You need to use your connections and ask your old friends. If anyone didn't vote in favor, ask them to send a new one. I don't think Amelia will mind!"

Crouch: "...You're shameless..."

"Thank you for the compliment; this is an essential political quality!"

……

Ministry of Magic, Minister's office.

When Umbridge burst in, panting, the esteemed Minister Fudge was taking a big gulp of sherry.

Seeing his expression, Umbridge quickly moved quietly to avoid the minister taking his anger out on her.

"Your Excellency, I have already learned that Wissengamo will be voting tonight. When I arrived, the owls that mail the ballots had already begun to arrive at the ministry."

Fudge downed another glass of sherry, and although the alcohol content wasn't high, he was already a little tipsy.

He sneered, "What other bad news is there? Tell me all at once!"

Umbridge paused for a moment before saying tactfully, "I heard that Dumbledore, who hasn't been seen lately, has started visiting the Wessengamo members frequently since yesterday."

"Amelia Burns wrote letters to at least 10 wizards, and... and Barty Crouch..."

She paused, and Fudge, who was drinking, immediately glared at her with his cold, yet seemingly fiery, eyes.

She quickly said, "Barty Crouch was away for a while, and just now when he came back, he publicly claimed that some of his old friends had sent the wrong tickets and asked Amelia to re-examine them... Amelia agreed..."

boom!

A wine glass shattered at her feet, startling her so much that she quickly covered her mouth. She heard the esteemed Minister Fudge unleash a torrent of abuse: "That wretched woman! And that old dog Crouch! See Umbridge? They're so arrogant they're practically pissing on my head… Old dog! I should have finished him off last year!"

Fudge did try.

He criticized Dumbledore, Amelia, and Barty Crouch for being arrogant, and in the days following the actual questioning, he made no attempt to conceal his arrogance when frequently contacting representatives of the pure-blood families in Wizengamon.

It is widely believed that his counterattack will likely occur after the establishment of the Werewolf Affairs Committee.

In fact, those people didn't understand politics very well, and Fudge didn't want the Werewolf Affairs Committee to be established smoothly at all.

This has nothing to do with personal likes or dislikes, but rather that this institution, from its concept to its entity, is a challenge to his authority.

The best course of action is to eliminate the Werewolf Affairs Committee altogether, preventing its formation and thus preserving his reputation and position.

Unfortunately, Fudge couldn't do it.

Fudge was able to assume the high position of Minister of Magic because he was elected by Wizengamot, who granted him the legitimacy to inherit the highest power in the wizarding world.

Any Minister of Magic, including him, who dared to deny Wizengamot was essentially denying the legitimacy of their own power.

If things really develop to that point, Wizengamo won't be in much trouble, but it's hard to say what will happen to the minister who has lost the protection of magical laws.

Therefore, Fudge can only play the ball of yarn game within the rules.

Based on the original course of events, Fudge felt he still had some hope. No matter how powerful Dumbledore was, he could only inspire fear, not obedience.

As far as he knew, of the more than 50 seats in Wizengamot, only about a dozen wizards, such as Amelia and Mrs. Marchban, were Dumbledore's staunch supporters, and they would unconditionally support him.

The rest of the people can only be considered neutral. Politically, they do not have a unified demand, and their positions and starting points are different. They are people that anyone can win over.

During the previous questioning sessions, Vaughn attended the entire session and patiently answered questions in an effort to win the votes of these neutral voters.

It was precisely because Fudge noticed this that he frequently visited them after the inquiry meeting, hoping to win them over to his side and turn the tide in the final decision-making stage.

His progress was initially going quite smoothly...

"The day before yesterday, Ald Travers secretly wrote me a letter. He told me that Fudge was contacting pure-blood families, trying to get them to vote against him, and quite a few families were wavering..."

In the evening, Vaughn and Crouch arrived at the Ministry of Magic to await the vote of Wizengamot.

When Amelia saw Vaughn, she spoke to him.

She added with some dissatisfaction: "I wanted to contact you and Dumbledore right away, but I couldn't reach either of you. I only found out today that Dumbledore secretly visited his 'old friends,' and you, on the other hand, have Mr. Crouch's strong support—I wouldn't have known if Barty hadn't told me you were with him!"

Her dissatisfaction stemmed from the fact that neither of them had consulted her.

"I'm sorry, Amelia." Vaughn remained calm and decisively made up a story: "Actually, I've been staying at Mr. Crouch's house these past few days, constantly pestering him, and I finally managed to convince him today. I really didn't have time to tell you..."

Crouch's face twitched. He almost couldn't help but expose him—where did this pleading and cajoling come from? Vaughn clearly knew he would cooperate. He hadn't mentioned it once in days, which made him rush to write letters to the pure-blood families this afternoon.

But it was clear that Amelia believed it.

Her expression softened until Vaughn spoke harshly of Dumbledore: "...Dumbledore has definitely forgotten about you. Look, he didn't even use his Patronus to send a message..."

Amelia took a deep breath and couldn't help but look to the side.

The air rippled a few times, and Dumbledore, with his full white beard, appeared, smiling at Vaughn.

This was undoubtedly an awkward situation.

But Vaughn remained unfazed, his voice lingering without a pause: "...But I believe that once Dumbledore's senile mind clears, he will personally inform you, Albus, am I right?"

"Darling, you know me so well."

"No, no, you haven't been wandering around in the wilderness lately. The professor mentioned to me last time that you might die out there any day now, and rather than not being able to find you, he said he'd rather give you a bottle of poison now. He's been holding back his temper every day, so you have to be careful!"

"Sigh, Severus just can't let go of things. He's fixated on trivial matters from the past. Unlike me, if someone slanders me to my face, I just laugh it off and don't take it to heart. At most, I'll hold a grudge for a while."

When the two met, they would engage in sharp tongues and sarcastic remarks.

This unusual way of getting along surprised Amelia and Crouch.

Although everyone knew that Dumbledore supported Vaughn, they thought their relationship was more like that of an elder and a junior, or that Vaughn was subservient to Dumbledore.

But now it seems that the two of them get along very equally!

Vaughn and Dumbledore exchanged a few "friendly" words as equals. It was getting late, so Amelia took her leave first, as she still had to set up the venue.

Not all members of Wizengamo will be present today; probably only a dozen or so will show up.

However, because a new agency may be established, almost every department of the Ministry of Magic will send one or two representatives to attend and observe the decision-making process.

This also includes willing wizards, residents, media reporters, and so on.

Amelia will also have to count the votes and tally the results later; her job is not easy.

After she left, Crouch quickly made an excuse to leave as well, because he felt guilty and didn't dare to face Dumbledore in private.

Sure enough, as soon as Crouch's figure disappeared outside the door, Dumbledore turned his gaze to Vaughn: "Barty's support for you has exceeded many people's expectations. Everyone is wondering why he would reconnect with his old connections because of you? Before today, he had already lost contact with some pure-blood families."

During the interrogation, Vaughn, who often visited Amelia's office, familiarly found a drink, took a sip, and said, "We had an agreement to trust each other!"

"Of course, I wasn't trying to question you in any way," Dumbledore smiled. "I just suddenly remembered that a few years ago Barty asked me if memory magic could reverse the corruption of someone by dark magic."

"Oh, that's an interesting idea. What was your response?"

I told him it was impossible!

Dumbledore looked at Vaughn, his deep blue eyes filled with mystery: "The effects of dark magic are irreversible; they only accumulate. Even I can only rely on memory magic to try my best to weaken the corruption caused by each use of dark magic and slow down its effects."

Vaughn remained noncommittal: "Nothing in this world is absolute, Albus!"

(End of this chapter)